Monday, November 26, 2012

bigfoot has been sighted.

i think it's important to remember that we don't live in feel-good movies. you know, where things are perfect. and we don't live in decorating shows where things stay exactly where you set them 2 years ago and never get broken or moved. also things stay clean on those shows too. no one is just constantly peeing on beds and toilets/walls.

on that note, we decorated the tree yesterday and as much as i'd like to post these pictures and say, tis the season for fun! or something cheesy like that... i think it would be better to admit that it didn't go perfectly.

it was chaotic.
penelope threw down a glass ornament like you would throw a bouncy ball. and instead of bouncing, it shattered. she ran away promptly.
while nato was yelling for everyone to leave the glass shards alone, the cheery murmur of christmas music played in the background and annoyed me. why is it so loud, i yelled?!layne, settle down!lila, don't touch!penelope, where are you?!

the kids frantically were hanging ornaments. they grab the glass ornament from my mema and i tear it out of their hands...oh this one's special. no touch. why are there such things as glass ornaments, i ponder. oh! not everyone has young children. they like nice things.

at the end of it all, our tree looks like kindergarten soccer....a clustered mass with a lot of green to spare. a bunch of ornaments crowded in one section of the big tree and i'm too tired to fix any of it.
to top it off (pun intended) lila broke the tree topper accidentally.hot glue. where's the hot glue gun? i'll fix it tomorrow.

we watched home alone at the end of the chaos and they all sat still for about 3 seconds. layne, quit moving your feet so much. i think you have restless leg syndrome, i say lovingly as he's snuggled by me.

and with some distance, it makes me laugh. i pray that our kids remember the fun things and not that it was chaotic and their mother was mean at moments. i am hoping that i am able to take a step back even sooner than the day after stressful moments and just enjoy situations for what they are. as a mother with small children, i wonder if this is attainable or if it's something illusive like bigfoot in the woods-- where we only catch glimpses of the magic or hear about it from other who have "seen it with their own eyes!"

i catch a glimpse when i look at this picture. with lila's hand's clasped in excitement and layne staring at the star with delight. penelope could care less but hey, that's 2 out of 3!

I LOVE this. Because we have a family video of us decorating the tree. I'm throwing a twelve year old girl hissy fit, my eight year old sister is just trying to get some attention, my mom is begging my two year old sister to stop touching the glass ornaments, and my baby baby brother is crying. All with my dad adding commentary and the beautiful Christmas music playing in the background. And we love it because those WERE the fun and magical moments - chaos, craziness, and family. Why my parents thought VIDEOTAPING it would reflect well on us, is beyond me, but we watch it every Christmas now as adults and laugh and laugh and laugh.

How did you come up with the soccer analogy? Brilliant, I tell you. I hear ya, about the rarity of a bigfoot sighting. It's rare around these parts as well. I keep thinking things will be so different when the youngest is 5. That we can actually do a family activity and enjoy ourselves. There's just nothing easy about 3 little kids.

i'm dying laughing at the restless leg syndrome comment to layne. i can totally picture the situation happening at our house too. we did the tree last night also... it was fun but glass ornaments were broken, shards on the floor and luke (our youngest) was stuffing his face with mango and throwing the balls, aka silver ornaments, on the ground. maybe when they're 15 it will be magical like the movies....

So true. In my 10 years of having kids, last year was the first that decorating went ideally. (not bad odds, 1 out of 10=)) This year I have an almost 18 month old, who takes getting into stuff she is not supposed to as her personal challenge. I am pretty sure we will be back to normal this year. I.e. not idealistic. But, that is okay. I want my kids to enjoy Christmas. I don't want to be wound tighter than a top all season. And that starts with the decorating.

Haha, oh boy, thank you for your honesty!!! We just set ours up last night with my 18 month old, and I thought numerous times, what in the world were we thinking!?! but I imagine it will be tough for many years down the road, especially adding more kiddos to the mix! But for real, your tree looks beautiful, and that last picture is extremely precious. :) :)

this comment is to both posts-I'm always confused by people who dislike christmas, I agree the material side isn't what its about, but I love Christmas because the family come from overseas and God seems more present than ever, with my aunt and uncle running a church in Portugal and still involved in the business here its our time to pray all as a family, and hug and love and share. Like we all come together and rest up and encourage and pray for Gods work here and there and I feel more grateful than ever for Christ life which gives our lives purpose. Yea, I love christmas, and the loud family moments, its not perfect but is which is what I think you captured:)

as a child who lived through chaos like that at the time, i will tell you i remember doing it together as a family, and the music, and lights, and yes, ornaments. we all (my sisters and i) our own ornaments, and i love those still to this day. and your photos are beautiful, if the calm is only elusive to you now. you will cherish these, just like your kids will cherish the times. :)

I truly GET every word. We decorated our tree last night and within 7 minutes the oldest proclaimed, "This isn't even fun, mom." Ouch. Still stung when I went to bed. This morning, with the tree finished, he told me it was beautiful. Amen.

Gah, this is so me. I basically just wanted to decorate our tree by myself this year, all selfish-like, because I wanted it to look pretty. My husband stood there for a few minutes before he got the hint that "I got this". What the heck??? And I've decided that sometimes the whole perfect memory thing that I am striving for at times like this end up being the most stressful. Especially for me.

seriously, they really are. i let my kids hang whatever they make at school on there. i think they are hilarious and make the kids feel special. plus, conversation starters when you have guests over, right? ha.

It's hard to have "helpers" sometimes, isn't it? But then these are the years you have to embrace the chaos because soon enough you'll get to do things all by yourself your own way, right? (Hope I don't sound preachy, because I GET this post--and I've cringed at my kids' enthusiastic decorating ideas, too.)

maybe it was a crazy mess, but i have to say that's one of the sweetest, warmest looking livingrooms i've seen in a long time. maybe it's the way the camera magic caught it, but i have a feeling it's because there's love and honesty there.. and since there's no smell-o-vision none of us on this side of the interweb can smell the pee. :)

Jami, I've been lurking on your blog and Instagram a few months now and want to say "hi" and "thank you" for all the honesty, hilarity and blessings that you put out there through your blog and IG. I'm always thrilled to see a picture loading under your name knowing that any range of emotions could be evoked by whatever you are posting (Barnes and Noble homegirl will be legendary in my mind). I'm also a fellow hermit with occasional bursts of extrovertness (not really a word according to auto correct) and enjoy your musings and remarks on that. We are so complex. Anyway, thank you, thank you. I am truly blessed by you!!! Merry Christmas!

What a sweet and adorable post. Your childrem WILL remember the fun things. Growing up, my mother had many traditions that I am sure did not go as well as she would have liked, but - all I remember was the fun. Merry Christmas!